Strait of Hormuz Tanker: LPG tanker ‘Sarv Shakti’ belonging to India has been successful in crossing the Strait of Hormuz. At a time when the movement of ships through this route is almost at a standstill due to the US blockade and Iran tension, this transit is being considered a big relief for India. According to MarineTraffic data, the LPG carrier ‘Sarva Shakti’ passed close to Iran’s Larak Island and followed the route set by Tehran to pass through this chokepoint. The ship is headed to a major LNG terminal in Visakhapatnam carrying 45,000 tonnes of gas and 18 Indian crew members.
A rare journey amidst crisis
The Marshall Islands-flagged ship ‘Sarv Shakti’, carrying about 45,000 tonnes of LPG (commonly used in cooking), was seen passing near Iran’s Larak and Qeshm islands and entering the Gulf of Oman on Saturday. This ship has been plying between the Persian Gulf and Indian ports in the past and is currently giving signals to move towards India. Information about the presence of Indian crew on board the ship is also being circulated, which is a common security procedure adopted after the Iran war.
Indian oil buyers, first big movement
According to a shipping document seen by Bloomberg, the buyer of this cargo is state-owned Indian Oil Corporation. However, the company did not immediately respond to this. The voyage of ‘Sarva Shakti’ is also significant because it is the first recorded transit of a tanker belonging to India after the US started the blockade on ships belonging to Iran. After this blockade, the number of ships passing through Hormuz reduced to almost zero.
India faces energy crisis, severe shortage of LPG
Being the world’s third largest oil importer and second largest LPG consumer, India is currently facing a serious energy crisis. Due to supply disruption from the Middle East, shortage of LPG in the country has created a situation of panic, long queues and limited supply. New Delhi has paid special attention to the safe transit of LPG ships since the US and Israel began attacks on Iran in late February. Under this, Indian ports have been instructed to give priority to these tankers and do faster unloading, and domestic production has also been increased.
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Transit was disrupted amid tension
The situation worsened over a weekend in April when Iran initially promised to open the passage, but its forces later fired on ships attempting to pass, forcing many ships to turn back. However, an Indian tanker named ‘Desh Garima’ somehow managed to escape by switching off the transponder.
Traffic still stalled in Hormuz, India took steps
Since then, the movement of ships in Hormuz has almost come to a standstill. During this period, India has succeeded in diverting eight LPG ships from this route through bilateral talks with Tehran and is also working on other options. India has increased domestic LPG production by 60% to 54,000 tonnes, while consumption has fallen to 80,000 tonnes per day. Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri gave this information on Friday.
Ship travel and technical challenges
The ‘Sarv Shakti’ entered the Persian Gulf in early February and received cargo through ship-to-ship transfer near Dubai, although the exact source of the cargo is not clear. Passage through Hormuz usually takes 10 to 14 hours, but electronic interference in the area may cause the ship’s location to appear inaccurate. Many ships also turn off transponders to hide their location. The ship is managed by Dubai-based Foresight Group Services Limited, while its owner is listed as Zhe Yin Shan Zhou No. 4 Tianjin, which is linked to the same address. However, the company has not given any reaction on this.